- Hamas to release 6 more hostages, bodies of 4 others ABC News
- Bibas Children, Symbols of Hostage Crisis, to Come Home Dead, Hamas Says The New York Times
- LIVE: Hamas ready to free Israeli captives in one go for a permanent truce Al Jazeera English
- After 500 days, a father reunites with his son who was taken hostage by Hamas NPR
- Hamas proposes release of all phase two hostages at once The Jerusalem Post
Brazil to join OPEC+, group of major oil-exporting nations – The Associated Press
Residents say Rwanda-backed rebels are advancing on a third city in eastern Congo – The Associated Press
- Residents say Rwanda-backed rebels are advancing on a third city in eastern Congo The Associated Press
- Why have Rwanda-backed rebels seized 2 Congolese cities and is there an end in sight? The Associated Press
- Congo rebels promise security in Bukavu after looting Reuters
- M23 rebels tighten their grip on major city in eastern DRC Al Jazeera English
- Rebels Take Another City in Mineral-Rich Congo The Wall Street Journal
Six soldiers in Guyana injured in clash with suspected Venezuela-based gang
Guyana plans to ‘take all necessary measures’ for security as tensions likely to further rise between the two countries
Six soldiers in Guyana have been injured after armed men in neighboring Venezuela opened fire, in an attack expected to further heighten tensions between the two South American countries.
Two of the soldiers are in critical condition following Monday’s attack, according to the head of Guyana’s army, the chief of staff Brig Gen Omar Khan, who blamed suspected gang members.
Continue reading...Couple on Round-the-World Trip Charged as Spies in Iran – Newser
- Couple on Round-the-World Trip Charged as Spies in Iran Newser
- Family of British couple detained in Iran seek their return The Washington Post
- British couple charged with spying in Iran Financial Times
- The worrying rise of ‘danger tourists’ ignoring Foreign Office advice The Telegraph
- British motorcycling couple detained in Iran charged with espionage The Guardian
14YO Passes Away After Injecting “Butterfly Remains” As Police Investigates Online “Challenge” – Bored Panda
Jeremy Bowen: No sign of a quick peace dividend for Trump in Ukraine
Ukrainian soldiers are paying little attention to US diplomacy and civilians doubt good will come of it.
Sudan paramilitary group kills more than 200 people in three-day attack, activists say
The Emergency Lawyers network said the RSF killed civilians south of Khartoum, with hundreds more either wounded or missing
Sudanese paramilitaries have killed more than 200 people in a three-day assault south of Khartoum, according to a lawyers’ network, while the army-backed government put the death toll at more than double that figure.
The Emergency Lawyers network, which has documented human rights abuses during 22 months of fighting between the rival security forces, said hundreds more were wounded or missing and feared drowned after the paramilitaries opened fire on villagers as they attempted to flee across the White Nile.
Continue reading...Pope Francis has double pneumonia on top of earlier respiratory tract infection
Pontiff, 88, already in hospital when latest diagnosis made, as Vatican confirms medical situation is ‘complex’
Pope Francis has been diagnosed with double pneumonia after further tests showed a continuing “complex” medical situation, the Vatican said in a statement on Tuesday.
The pontiff, 88, underwent a chest X-ray, which “demonstrated the onset of bilateral pneumonia that required further pharmacological therapy”.
Continue reading...Moscow back at the table – and appearing to call the shots
Team Trump clearly wants to cut a deal with Moscow and move on, says the BBC's Sarah Rainsford.
Vladimir Putin: I won’t allow Starmer’s plan for troops in Ukraine – The Independent
- Vladimir Putin: I won’t allow Starmer’s plan for troops in Ukraine The Independent
- 'Nato membership for Ukraine was unacceptable': Russia after peace talk in Saudi Arabia The Times of India
- Russia's Lavrov denies 3-point peace plan, warns against Western peacekeepers in Ukraine Kyiv Independent
- 'Why should we invite them?': Lavrov ridicules European presence at Ukraine peace talks – video The Guardian
- Russia demands new territorial concessions from Ukraine – ISW Ukrainska Pravda
Holiday firms reporting surge in demand for long-haul breaks
Thailand and Vietnam now often seen as ‘more cost-effective’ than visiting traditional European favourites
Holiday companies are reporting a surge in demand for long-haul breaks amid claims that the likes of Thailand and Vietnam are now often “more cost-effective” than visiting traditional European favourites.
On Tuesday, the travel brand Kuoni said long-haul bookings for the year ahead were 14% higher than at the same point in 2024.
Continue reading...Six-year-old girl and woman die in Sydney house fire
Four children and four adults escape blaze in Heckenberg, where police have established a crime scene
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A woman and a schoolgirl have died in a house fire in Sydney’s south-west overnight.
Emergency services were called to the blaze at Heckenberg at 12.40am on Wednesday.
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Continue reading...Devon man jailed for sending ‘utterly deplorable’ email to Jess Phillips MP
Jack Bennett, 39, given 28 weeks for message sent a day after criticism of minister by X owner Elon Musk
A 39-year-old man has been jailed for sending an “utterly deplorable” email to safeguarding minister Jess Phillips, one day after she was criticised by X owner Elon Musk.
Jack Bennett, from Seaton, Devon, pleaded guilty to sending malicious communications to three people between February 2024 and January 2025, including the Birmingham Yardley MP, at Exeter magistrates court on Tuesday.
Continue reading...All fores! Miranda July among artists to create feminist mini-golf course in Melbourne
Swingers, which aims to celebrate the sport’s feminist history, will take over the Flinders Street station ballroom as part of the 2025 Rising festival
The acclaimed author and film-maker Miranda July is among a group of artists who are building a mini-golf course in Melbourne to celebrate the sport’s little-known feminist history.
Swingers: The Art of Mini Golf will take over the Flinders Street station ballroom, an abandoned space above the busy Melbourne railway station, as part of the city’s annual Rising festival.
Continue reading...Israel refuses to fully withdraw from Lebanon: Here’s what to know
Israel will keep troops in five locations in Lebanon, defying a ceasefire agreement that came into effect in November.
Second crisis Ukraine summit planned for Wednesday – POLITICO Europe
- Second crisis Ukraine summit planned for Wednesday POLITICO Europe
- Europe, Dazed by Trump, Confronts Hard Choices in Ukraine The New York Times
- Watch: Why European leaders held emergency Ukraine summit BBC.com
- European leaders gather for emergency meeting over fear Trump is isolating EU allies PBS NewsHour
- Sidelined by Trump, Macron tries to rally Europe on Ukraine. But divisions run deep The Associated Press
Officials: Tourists Make Things ‘Extremely Dangerous’ at Etna – Newser
- Officials: Tourists Make Things 'Extremely Dangerous' at Etna Newser
- Watch: Lava meets snow as skiers take on Mount Etna's fiery slopes Fox Weather
- Thousands of tourists flock to see Etna eruption, blocking rescue services The Guardian
- Video Skiers seek ultimate thrill on erupting Mount Etna ABC News
- Video. Spectacular eruption of Mount Etna, flights diverted in Catania Euronews
Zelenskyy demands Ukraine involvement after US-Russia talks on war
Ukrainian president says no decision on how to end Russia's war on his country can be made without consulting Kyiv.
Kabul evacuation whistleblower wins case against UK government
Civil servant Josie Stewart found to have been unlawfully dismissed in 2022 after she told BBC about failures
A civil servant who blew the whistle about the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan and Boris Johnson’s involvement in a decision to evacuate a pet charity from Kabul has won her case for unfair dismissal against the government in a legal first.
An employment panel of three judges unanimously found the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) unfairly dismissed Josie Stewart in 2021 after she leaked information in the public interest.
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